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The distressed family and friends of American woman Taylor Casey who vanished one month ago in the Bahamas are holding out hope she’ll be found, though there are no new updates on her whereabouts since June 19.

Her family said they expected an update from the Royal Bahamas Police Force last Friday, but have not received it. They are still campaigning for the Chicago woman’s safe return while pleading for the FBI’s support in finding her.

Jacqueline Boyd has known Taylor for 17 years and describes her as an “amazing, amazing friend.”

“Anybody that has been in a room with her is really, really devastated right now, personally impacted and motivated to action,” he told CNN. “And it is fully a reflection of how Taylor shows up for us.”

Friends say Taylor, a transgender woman who grew up in south suburban Harvey, Illinois, and most recently moved to Rogers Park in Chicago, is an Air Force veteran, a community worker, a woman of faith, an artist, and a hairstylist.

“Taylor’s favorite things are flowers and gardens and just peace,” her mother, Colette Seymore told CNN. “Taylor is a very gentle spirit. Taylor just loves people, loves to help people, cares about people, cares about justice (and) fairness.”

Taylor had worked with Howard Brown Health in HIV testing and prevention, her friends said.

Since knowing her for just six years, Darlene Hughes, Taylor’s aunt said, “I immediately was adopted by her!”

“I love and I miss her proper voice and choice of words like ‘Hi Aunt Darlene.’ Just like that, I was accepted into Taylor’s heart. I am so fulfilled that I met her, but that is not enough for me. Please bring Taylor Casey home.”

Taylor was on a trip to the Bahamas to certify as a yoga instructor at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island when she mysteriously disappeared. Police found her phone in waters not far from where she stayed but were unsuccessful in recovering the contents of the phone, Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said.

Authorities have not found her US passport, raising an alarm in Chicago’s transgender and LGBTQ+ community, who founded the @findtaylorcasey Facebook and Instagram pages to bring awareness to her disappearance.

The mother of Taylor Casey, the woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month on a yoga retreat, is just now revealing that Taylor is a transgender woman, as the search seems to hit a stalemate and detectives are stumped by her disappearance.

When she first disappeared, CSJ Report learned of her transgender identity when family and friends spoke in a Zoom meeting about her “large footprint” in the trans community in Chicago. But they never officially identified her as such, and neither did Bahamian authorities.

Now three weeks into the search, friends in a press statement disclosed her gender identity: ‘Community Urgently Seeks Help in Finding Beloved, Black Trans Advocate Missing Since June 20’

Seymore revealed to NBC why she shielded Taylor’s identity: “The focus was going to be taken off of finding my child, my child being missing and that they were going to put the focus on ‘oh, Taylor’s transgender,’ which should not be the focus at all.

“It should be the focus is finding Taylor, an American, human being citizen that’s missing in the Bahamas.”

Seymore who criticized Bahamas police for not doing enough to find Taylor, said her child would have already been found if she was white and heterosexual.

“Without a doubt. Without a doubt. There would have been way more effort. The investigation would have been done properly, the way it should have been done.”

Some took to social media, scolding the family for shielding Taylor’s gender identity.

“Sadly, they should have revealed transgenderism right away. You need a detailed description to find someone,” one user said.

Another said, “They should have said immediately that Taylor is transgender. That’s a huge component to this case.”

In a press conference on Thursday, the family honored Taylor’s 42^nd birthday and urged Chicago officials to call for FBI intervention in the disappearance.

Taylor’s phone has been found in waters near where she stayed, but her passport remains missing.

Her trip to the Bahamas was supposed to be a month-long training in yoga instructions at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island but nearly two weeks into the course, she reportedly disappeared.

Bahamian authorities are expected to give the family an update on Friday.

LGBTQ Pastor Marcus Payne II and the congregation of Lighthouse Church of Chicago are holding nights of prayer, hoping for the safe return of Taylor Casey to Chicago, Illinois.

“Our community is broken and distraught right now during this time,” Payne said at a press conference in Chicago, in honor of Taylor’s birthday.   Payne, Taylor’s family and friends pleaded for the government’s assistance in finding the 42-year-old last seen in the Bahamas.

“She is a vital heartbeat, the heart pulse of our people.”

Taylor, a transgender woman, visited the Bahamas for a four-week yoga training course at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island. She was last seen on June 19. Now Bahamian investigators are trying to piece together the puzzle of her mysterious disappearance.

Her phone found roughly 56 feet below water could not be accessed by investigators and her US passport has not been found, police said.

Taylor’s mother, Collette Seymour has called for assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and, she is now pressuring US elected officials to do more to find her child who celebrated her 42nd birthday on Thursday.

Taylor served actively in her church where she was on the hospitality team and “regularly participated in monthly meals [and] community conversations throughout the week.”

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Lighthouse Church of Chicago is an LGBTQ-affirming church, whose mission Payne said is to be passionate about social justice and the gospel of Jesus Christ, “through, empowerment, entertainment and education.”

“Taylor’s fashion sense, her sense of curiosity towards the world, how she saw the world as beautiful and saw God through it, is something our community is all right now, missing deeply and truly,” Payne said.

The church has organized prayer calls for Taylor and is sharing updates on social media.

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He urged elected officials to help find Taylor. “Government needs to move urgently.”

Sivananda Asham Yoga Retreat Center, facing heavy criticism, is hitting back at “false” claims made by the family of missing American tourist Taylor Casey, last seen near their site before her mysterious disappearance.

Colette Seymore, the mother of Taylor suggested that something sinister occurred at the retreat on Paradise Island and her daughter may have been abducted by an unknown man who wandered near Taylor’s tent, claims she said was told to her by a retreat manager.

“That is false and defamatory and not based on facts,” Peter Goudie, representing the retreat said to the Tribune, adding that all indications suggest Taylor left “voluntarily” since her personal belongings were still in the tent where she stayed.

Seymore visited the Bahamas on a three-day trip with other family and friends hoping to find her daughter. She showed images inside the tent where Taylor lived—an unmade bed, flip-flops, t-shirts, a bible, a picture of Jesus, cotton swabs, affirmation cards, books, and a yoga training book.

Local authorities confirmed Taylor’s passport remains missing and her phone was found in waters nearby.

“The tent photo…taken by Ms Casey’s family shows no signs of struggle…Her toothbrush and personal care products were in the tent in the photo, indicating she was going to return,” Goudie told the Tribune.

Seymore told the media that she was told of two men wandering the property on different days, once on the platform near Taylor’s tent and another time, a man dressed in all black was questioning an employee about the yoga retreat.

But Goudie said, “The man is from Atlanta and was staying next door at the Atlantis Resort. He was simply taking a stroll on the beach and was interested in knowing more about our yoga classes. We often have inquiries about the yoga retreat from the guests at Atlantis.

“The other individual was holding a walkie-talkie, and our best guess is that he is a security guard for one of our neighbors. He entered the ashram at about 2 pm –– a time when our students were in class –– and stayed for a couple of minutes and left.”

The mysterious disappearance has sparked debates on what could have possibly happened to the woman and has shined a spotlight on crime and visitor safety in the Bahamas.

Taylor is light-skinned, 145 lbs, with brown eyes and hair. If you see Taylor, you are asked to call 919 or crime tipsters 328-TIPS(8477).

Chicago authorities have issued a missing person alert for 41-year-old American woman Taylor Casey last seen in the Bahamas. And others are joining in. Friends of the trans woman are lending support, spreading the word of her mysterious disappearance.

Leader and CEO of Los Angeles LGBTQ Center Joe Hollendoner pushed for more outside efforts to find Taylor while attending a policy briefing at the White House.

“I asked the President of the United States (Joe Biden) and Vice President (Kamala Harris) to work with Taylor’s family and the @findtaylorcasey effort to get Taylor home to Chicago,” he said in a social media post.

Transgender leader Precious Brady Davis, a Chicago County official is also throwing her weight behind the search efforts to find Taylor.

In a social media post, she grieved Taylor’s disappearance, reminiscing on the years of friendship.

“I have known Taylor Casey for a number of years.

“Back in the day she regularly had gatherings at her home off Belmont and Halsted that brought all the girls together in a time when all had was us. At the time we were all just surviving,” said the first trans woman to serve in public office in Cook County.

“Her disappearance has given me great sorrow and I have a plethora of memories with her that I will always cherish. It is my prayer she returns to us all soon.”

Davis and her trans husband were honored and served as grand marshals for the city’s recent Pride Parade. They hope to use their influence to spur awareness and strengthen calls for support.

The Transgender Law Center in Chicago is getting involved too. The center, responsible for changes to law, policy, and attitudes toward transgenders says they are grieving the disappearance of their community leader, referring to her as “a beacon of joy.”

“Her presence is deeply missed…We are holding onto hope.”

Taylor visited the Bahamas to attend a four-week yoga course to become a certified instructor but after just two weeks at the Sivananda Asham Yoga Retreat Center, she disappeared. Only her phone was discovered. Authorities say her American passport is also missing.

Her mother Colette Seymore and friend Emily Williams expressed dissatisfaction with the investigations and are calling for US support.

The family of the missing Chicago woman is expressing new concerns after being told that an unidentified man wandered onto the property where Taylor Casey stayed before she mysteriously disappeared.

Taylor’s mother Collette Seymore said the Royal Bahamas Police Force failed to inform her of an encounter the unknown man had with participants of the center, but it was revealed by the lead manager of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, who said he (the manager) had given his statements to the local authorities.

According to reports, the Monday before Casey’s disappearance, an unknown man with a walkie-talkie was seen walking the platform where Taylor’s tent was located.

“When the man saw an employee, he went in another direction and walked off of the property,” Seymore said, recounting the story as told to her.

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On the day Taylor disappeared, a man approached a yoga participant while she was sitting alone on the beach, according to Seymore. The man reportedly walked from the direction of the Atlantis Resort and approached her.

The man wore all black with a Celtics baseball cap, claiming to be from Chicago, and expressed interest in taking a yoga class. He proceeded to follow her onto the property, according to Seymore.

“It’s strange.”

Seymore who arrived last week Wednesday, has since left the Bahamas after meeting with the officials of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

“I had to come home (Chicago) without my child. We need answers,” she told Brian Entin on Banfield NewsNation.

The 41-year-old’s phone pinged in waters and retrieved some “56 feet out,” the mother said.

After the cell phone belonging to missing American woman Taylor Casey was discovered in waters in the Bahamas, her mother Colette Seymore wants access to the phone.

Casey’s phone pinged in waters believed to be near the site where she went missing before attending classes at the Sivananda Asham Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island.

Seymore who met with investigators upon her arrival in the country to find her missing daughter, said the phone is in police custody but she has not been given access to it.

“They (Royal Bahamas Police Force) have the phone, but we have not been able to receive the phone or look into it. I think that’s gonna have a lot of our answers,” she told NewsNation Brian Entin. “They still have the phone. They haven’t given me the phone. But I want that phone before I leave.”

It is unknown when she will leave the Bahamas, only saying she hopes to carry Casey back to Chicago with her.

Seymore and a contingent of family and friends traveled to the Bahamas from Chicago, to find the missing 41-year-old woman, but to no avail.

PREVIOUS: Taylor Casey: US Family is looking to raise $25,000 to find her in the Bahamas

Police said they have used dogs, drones and divers to search for the woman and are still searching extensively to solve the unusual disappearance.

Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said last week that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is advising the police in the ongoing search for Casey who arrived in the Bahamas on June 2 to become a certified yoga instructor.

June 19^th was the last day anyone saw her. Reports are that she strolled to visit the coral reefs, 15 minutes from the retreat center.

Though Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told reporters last week that the family is “very, very pleased with the investigations thus far,”  Seymore told Entin, “I do not feel as confident as I want to feel…I’m here right now. I need to know that they are taking this seriously and helping to bring our loved one home. I need to know that.

“And no, I’m not feeling that confident about that.”

Casey is described as a light-skinned African-American woman, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and 145 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Taylor Casey’s family is seeking more resources in their arduous search for her in the Bahamas, wishing to raise $25,000.

The 41-year-old has not been seen since June 19 and her family travelled to the Bahamas to help solve the mystery of her disappearance.

The crowdfunding launched on chuffed.org has already raised over $11,000 to assist the family and friends in the country, to advocate for her safe return, and to hire a legal team.

The “beloved” woman is a community leader in Chicago and was hoping to become a certified yoga instructor after undertaking a course at Sivananda Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island. Her family said she could not wait to share her experience with friends upon her return home.

PREVIOUS: Drones, K9 and divers find no trace of missing Taylor Casey in the Bahamas so far

“Please help us bring Taylor home,” the page read.

Upon their arrival in the country, Taylor’s family met with the Royal Bahamas Police Force when authorities revealed her phone was discovered in waters. It is unknown how close the ocean is from where she stayed.

“We have updated the family on the investigation,” Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told reporters. “We have a very good relationship. They are very, very pleased with the investigations thus far.

“Our priority is to find Taylor…in good health.”

A police search has failed to yield the discovery of missing Chicago woman Taylor Casey so far, whose disappearance is a mystery and is making international headlines as the safety concerns for tourists visiting the Bahamas weigh in the balance.

“We’ve used our drone technology. We’ve used our K9. We’ve used our divers. We’ve used a number of resources, and so our investigations continue,” Police Spokesperson Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said at a press conference.

Taylor’s family met with the officials of the Royal Bahamas Police Force after arriving from the United States on Wednesday to assist in searching for the 41-year-old woman who visited the Bahamas to train as an instructor at a yoga retreat center on Paradise Island.

So far, her phone has pinged in waters but police did not say if they retrieved it.

Skippings said, “We have updated the family where we are in the investigation.

“We have a very good relationship. They are very, very pleased with the investigations thus far,” she said.

PREVIOUS: What we know and still don’t know about the disappearance of Taylor Casey

Taylor has been missing for seven days and her mother said she believes her daughter is in danger because Taylor was eager to return to teach yoga in Chicago.

Taylor’s niece Traysia Conard told NewsNation Live on Wednesday that her aunt has been practicing yoga for 15 years and visited the Bahamas in February.

“She takes trips all the time,” Conard said. “This (disappearance) was an out of the ordinary.”

“Our priority is to find Taylor in good health,” Skippings reassured.

Newsnation Brian Entin, onsite where Taylor practiced and learned the craft, highlighted that other guests were arriving at the retreat center and were unaware Taylor was missing since no flyers were posted.

Featured image: Taylor Casey is seen with her mother

The disappearance of American woman Taylor Casey remains a mysterious case in the Bahamas and is now making headlines around the world.

The 41-year-old Chicago native is believed to be a transgender woman who traveled to the country to attend a yoga retreat on Paradise Island.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force issued a missing person poster and is investigating the leads.

What we know about Taylor Casey’s disappearance

Taylor Casey came to the Bahamas on June 2 to become a certified yoga instructor. She attended the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island which sits offshore from New Providence and is connected by Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge.

She is believed to have attended sessions up until June 19. It was late that evening when she was last seen.

See MORE:‘I believe Taylor is in danger’: Mother of missing Chicago trans woman is worried sick

Someone saw her walk to the coral reefs in the ocean which is believed to be 15 minutes from the retreat where she stayed.

Her family confirmed that her phone is pinging in the water. “Her location was followed on her phone and it shows it is in the water,” her niece Saneria Benson said.

While in the Bahamas, she lived in a tent on the property, partly to experience nature, because it was a yoga and wellness trip.

The yoga retreat center released a statement saying it is helping authorities in their investigations and is asking others with information to pass it along to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

What we still don’t know about Taylor Casey’s disappearance

Casey’s disappearance is quite mysterious and authorities have not revealed much information on the search efforts or where the investigation is leading them.

There are many unknowns:

1. Did she travel alone?
2. Did she meet up with friends in the country?
3. Who paid for her accommodations?
4. Did she leave the resort?

The family said other than what they have issued to the press, “further details cannot be disclosed at this time.”

Fears of safety for tourists

Safety concerns for tourists coming to the Bahamas are helping to mobilize the story and captivating audiences. This is why the story of Taylor Casey’s disappearance is making international headlines.

In recent times, the crime rate in the country spiraled, with the murder rate hitting double digits. This resulted in the US level 2 travel advisory for its citizens coming to the Bahamas since January of this year.

“Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas,” the US advisory read. “In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the “Over the Hill” area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population. Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas,” the US advisory continued.

However, crime against tourists is rare and the violence is more concentrated in areas where locals reside.